Dispensing device



Bec. M, i923.

K. KIEFER DISPENSING DEVICE 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 26

/ jm/gmww Dec. M, 1923.

K. KIEFER DISPENSING nsw-CE Filed Dec. 2e; 1919 2 sneeisfsheet 2 @JMW Patented lee. lll, i923..

rinata KARL KIEFER, F CEBTCNN'ATI, OHO.

EESPESENG- Dill/TCE.

Application filed December 26, 1919. Serial No. 3ft-7,474.

To all whom may conce/rn.

Be it known l, linnn KIEFER, a citizen ci' the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county olf Hamilton and filtrate olf @hicT have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dispensing levices, of. which the olloiving is a specification.

My invention relates to filling machines or other dispensing devices, and its object is to dispense to individual ones or" a plurality of containers substantially uniform amounts. either operating in conjunction with a filling machine to place relatively small amounts of substance in each container along with the principal substance y either previously or subsequently placed in the containers by means of the filling machine, or else operating alone or in conjunction with devices other than filling machines. l

ln the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a partial plan view of a filling machine equipped With an improved dispensing device according to my invention, the containers being represented by dotted lines only, to avoid confusion;

Fig. 2 is apartial side elevation of the same, the ycontainers being shown by full lines; i v f Fig. 3 is a partial vertical sectional elevation on a plane corresponding to the line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. t is a partial vertical section on a plane corresponding to the line 1 4: of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation of the discharge controlling plu.

rl"he filling machine in conjunction with which l prefer to use my improved dispensing device, `and Which is partially illustrated herein, is constructed substantially according to my invention as disclosed and claimed in my Patent No. 1,313,301, issued August 19, 1919, and in my co-pending. application Serial No. 278,287, iiled February 20. 1919.

In this machine, as shown herein, there is a carrier frame comprising outer and inner A parallel bars 1 and 2 along opposite sides of the machine joined by corresponding bars 3 and 1- extending around in a semicircle at one end of the machine. Carriers 5 are caused, byA suitable mechanism not shown, toftravel along the bars 1 and 2 at one side toward the semicircular end bars and l, and therearound to the bars 1 and 2 the opposite side, Where the carriers 5 travel in the opposite direction to the other end of the machine and there are carried around by suitable mechanism, so that these carriers travel continuously around the vmachine. The mechanism referred to comprises sprocket wheels vand a chain @that carries the carriers, one of these ivneels being understood as being concertrically lined to the upright shaft 7. Thus, these carriers 5 are caused to travel in unison with the rotation or' this shaft 7, passaround the curved end of the machine in regular succession. The purpose of my invention is to discharge moderate amounts of liquid into containers carried by these carriers, from a stationary means but with the containers moving continuously.l

Above the carriers 5 is the filling head, comprising the upper distributing element 8 held stationary by an arm 9 carried thereby engaging a column 10 Xed in the machine trame between the` parallel carrierframe bars, and a discharging element 11 making close contact With the lower side of the distributing element 8 and keyed to and rotated with the shaft 7. These elements 8 and 11 are held together by a nut 12 screwed on the threaded upper end part ofI the hub 13 or' the rotatable discharging element 11, which extends up through the hub 8 of the stationary distributing element 8, with a collar 14 having a key la in the hub 13, between the nut 12 and the top of the hub 8. this filling head is lheld at any desired h ,-ght on the shaft 7 by a nut 15 screwed up on the shaft against the bottom of the discharging element 11 and a lock-nut 15 screwed down on the shaft against the top of the hub 13 Where this hub,` extends slightly above the nut 12. rlhe distributing element 8 has the segmental channel 16 receiving substance from the conduit 17, leading from supplying means not shown, and discharging to successive openings 18 in the rotary discharging element 11 as the openings are brought around in the rotation. rlhe machine is so arranged that the containers receive uniform amounts of substance. 'lhese purposes are accomplished by virtue of the operation of the machine as vfully described in the patent' and the application hereinbeore referred to,

The improved dispensing device making up the presentvinvention'will now be described.

A receiving cup 19 and a discharging cup 20 are mounted side by side by having a bracket 21 bolted to a bracket 22 which is clamped upon the lower part of the column 10. These vparts are so proportioned and arranged that the discharging cup 20 will have one of the containers A" under it about the timeor shortly after the discharge from the lling head begins into the container A on the next preceding carrier 5. The receiving cup 19 is disposed diagonally from the cup 20 over toward the column 1() with a substantial space separating the two cups; but preferably these two cups 19 and 2O and their bracket 21 are cast integral.

The receiving cup 19 has an outlet 23` opening from its bottom into a port 24 that runs in the casting in an upwardly inclined direction into the side of the ydischarging cup 2Oy next to the bottom thereof. Preferably this port 24 is left open at one end for f. facilitating its cleaning and is normally closed by a vplug 25 screwed into said end.

The upper part of the opening 23 is in they form of a conical valve seat 26. The measuring plug 27 of elongated cylindrical formation has its lowerl end adapted to tinto the seat 26 and slides up and down in a guide 28 which comprises a central hub with diverging arms 29 lying against the walls of the upper part of the receiving cup 19 and resting'on an annular shoulder 30 formed on the interior of the cup near its bottom. The

upper end part of this plug 27 has avertical slot cut down from its topso that it is bifurcated and a roller 31 lies in this slot between the members of the plug an-d isy journaled-on a pin 32 passing transversely through these members.

The discharging cup- 2O has an opening l 33in its bottom in the form oit a conical valve seat and the discharge-controlling i plug 34 is of elongated cylindrical Jformation with a conical pointed lower end 35` fitting into the seat 33. This plug 34 has lonl gitudinal grooves 36 at oppositesides open ing through this conical en-d 35 and :leading up to an annular groove 37 extending entirely around the plug, from which further short longitudinal grooves 38 lead upward at kopposite sides hal way between the grooves 36. The upper end part of this plug 34 has a vertical slot cut down from its top,

yas in the plug 27, and a roller 39 lies in this 'slot' and is journaled'on a pin 40 passing therethrough. This discharge-controlling.

plug 34 slides up" and down ina bushing 41 that has its upper part threaded and screwed down in the threaded interior of the upper part ofjthecup 20. The lower part of the bushing`41 is smooth and lits in the smooth lower part or the interior of the cup 20.

The upper end of the bushing 41 has the hexagonal head 42 for grasping the bushing to screw it up and down in the cup to vary the capacityvof the cup; and a lock nut 43 is screwed onto the bushing, under the head 42, to clamp down against the rim of the cup and fix the bushing in its adjusted position. y

Between the two cups 19 and 29 there is an upstanding fork 44 in which is pivoted a rocker 45 with one end46 projecting into the slot under the roller 31 of the measuring plug 27, and another end 47 projecting into the slot under the roller 39 of the dischargecontrolling plug 34. This rocker 45 also has l an upward projection which has anr upwardlyy opening recess 48.

An outer collar 49 is clamped around the collar 14 by means of `the set screws 50; the collar 14 being keyed to the hub 13 as before described, so that. the collar 49 turns with the lilling head. ln the periphery of the collar 49 isa series of pin-s 51 with circumerentially sloped projections 52. An arm 53 is clamped tothe column 10` above the bracket 22 and extends over the lilling head close to the collar 49. A bell-crank lever has its ulcrum 54 in this arm near its end next to thecollar 49, and comprises a long yarm 55 engaging in the recess 48 ofthe rocker 45, and a shorter arm 56 extending out on the opposite side of the fulcrum and connected to the part of the arm 53 near the i tion 52 passes this roller 60 the bell-crank lever will swing its long arm 55 over to-A ward the receiving cup 19, so tilting the rocker 45 that the measuring plug 27 in the receiving cup will be lowered and the discharge-controlling plug 34 in the discharge cup will be raised; this arm 55, in its opposite position when the roller 60 is bearing againstthe periphery of the collar.49,havr ing. raised the measuring plug 27 and lowered the discharge-controlling plug .34. The collar 49 may be adjusted around on thecollar 14 to exactly time this operation tothe travel of the containers A; the set screws 5() being loosened for the adjustment, 'and then tightened to fix the collar 49 in its newly adjusted position.

The receiving cup 19 has an inlet 61 in vits bottom up into which leads a flexible hose or conduit 62 from a supply cup 63 receiving the neck V63 of the inverted reservoir 64 (represented diagrammatically in Fig. 3) so arranged that, due tol partial Vacuum vwithin the bell-crank lever. QEach time a projecl Larnaca the reservoir 64 above the liquid therein and atmospheric pressure through the opening 63 of the cup 63 on the surface ot the liquid in the cup 63, it keeps the supply cup 63 and receiving cup 19v supplied with the liquid to any desired constant level B, which is the level of the end ofthe neck 63', and which level in the cup 19 may be determined by placing the cup 63 and reservoir 64 at the required height on the standard 64. Each time the measuring plug 27 rises, this liquid flows through the outlet 23 and the port or passage 24, rising into the space at the bottom of the discharging cup below the bushing 4l and in the narrow vent grooves 36 to the level B. The outlet 33 is at this time closed by the lowering of the discharge-controlling plug 34. Then when one of the projections 52 swings the bellcrank lever as before described, lowering the measuring plug 27 and raising the dischargecontrolling plug 34, a definite amount of the liquid is cut off from the main body in the receiving cup by the closing of the valve constituted by the conical lower end part of the plug 27 seating on the valve seat 26; and at the same time the valve constituted by the pointed lower end part of the plug 34, seating in the outlet 33, is opened, and the definite amount of liquid flows out through the outlet 33 and around the pointed end of the plug 34. The vent grooves 36, 37 and 38 permit escape of air from the space below the bushing when liquid is admitted thereto, and permit inflow of the air so that the liquid will flow therefrom. Their abruptly changing course, aiforded by placing the longitudinal grooves out of alinement, avoids splashing of the inflowing liquid out of the upper ends of the grooves when suddenly admitted by the quick raising of the measuring plug 27 as before set forth. The pointed end of the plug 34 acts, by virtue oi" cohesion of the liquid, to concentrate the outHow so that it quickly drops into the container A without scattering or spillage. The quick discharge obviates the necessity of stoppage of the container under it, or of having the device to move in unison with the container.

This device is especially suitable for discharging into containers small quantities of acid which it is desired shall be mixed with the principal substance filled into the'container by the lling head, as was described. In any case, it is very simple, avoiding use of floats, plungers and the like, and relying merely on atmospheric pressure to aii'ord practically uniform delivered charges.

The brackets 22 and arm 23 may be adjusted up or down on the column l() when the filling head is raised or lowered for containers of different heights, by loosening and again tightening the clamping bolts 65. The bracket and arm are held the proper distance apart during such adjustment, by a spacing pin 66 set in the bracket 22 and extending up against the bottom of the arm it will be understood that my improved dispensing device may be used in conjunction with the filling machine described, or with other filling machines, or independently thereof, as conditions may require, and is also susceptible to various modifications in adapting it to different requirements. Therefore, having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. Ina dispensing device, a fixed receiving cup, a fixed discharging cup, said cups having a passage connecting the lower parts of their interiors, a valve controlling communication between -said receiving cup and said passage, said discharging cup having an outlet, a valve controlling said outlet, op` erating means connected to said valves to alternately open said valves, rotary means bringing containers successively under said discharging-cup outlet, and an operative connection between said operating meansV and said rotary means.

2. In a dispensing device, a receiving cup and a discharging cup connected together, each having an outlet in its bottom and each having an inlet in its lower part, and having a passage connecting the outlet of said receiving cup with the inlet oi said discharging cup, a plug extending down through the interior of said receiving cup into said outlet to close said outlet when lowered or to open said outlet when raised, a guide comprising a hub receiving said plug and means spacing said hub from the walls of said cup, a discharge-controlling plug extending down through the interior of said discharging cup into said discharging-cup outlet to close the outlet when lowered or to open said outlet when raised, a bushing adapted to be adjusted up or down in the interior or" said discharging cup, around said plug, to vary the capacity ot said cup adjacent to said discharging-cup inlet and outlet, a rocker operatively connected to said plugs to alternately raise and lower each plug as it lowers and raises the other plug, rotary means bringing containers successively under said discharging-cup outlet, a series of projections on said rotary means, and a lever operatively engaging with said rocker and operatively engaged by successive ones ot said projections to rock said rocker.

3. In a dispensing device, a receiving cup and a discharging cup having a passage connecting the bottoms of their interiors, said discharging cup having an outlet in its bottom, valves controlling said passage and said outlet, respectively, a rotary iilling head, a rotary carrier bringing containers successively under said discharging-cup outlet and under said filling head, a mounting for said filling head whereby it may be adjusted up or down for containers of various heights, an operative connection from said rotary lilling head to said rvalves whereby said valves are alternately closed, and a mounting for said cups whereby they may be adjusted up or down for said containers of various heights, and whereby said operative connection is maintained.

4. In a dispensing device, a receiving cup and a discharging cup having a passage connecting the bottoms of their interiors, said discharging cup having an outlet in its bottom, valves controlling said passage and said outlet, respectively, a rotary filling head, a rotary carrier lbringing containers successively under said discharging-cup outletI and under'said illing head, a mounting ,tor said filling head whereby it may be adjusted up or down for containers of various heights, a series of projections rotating with said filling head, a rocker operatively connecting said valves together and alternatively openl ing and closing said valves, a lever operatively engaging with said rockerand operatively engaged by successive ones of said rotating projections to rock said rocker, and a mounting for said cups and said lever whereby said cups may be adjusted up or down for said containers of various heights and whereby said lever is maintained in its position relative to said projections.

5. In a dispensing device, a fixed pair of chambers having an intercommunicating passage, means for adjusting the capacity of the space in one of said chambers adjacent to saidpassage, controlling means for controlling inlet from the other chamber through said passage, said spacehaving an outlet,

carrying means whereby said controlling means are operated in unlson with the carrying of the containers to said outlet.

KARL KIEFER. 

